Prevention is the best medicine.There are 212 cases of mumps in central Ohio as of Monday, and undoubtedly those numbers will increase over the next few days.The sick range in age from 9 months to 70 years old and 132 of these people attend or work at Ohio State University.Mumps starts with fever, fatigue and body aches, which are also symptoms of influenza. Those infected are urged to stay home, cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing, and frequently wash hands. Mumps results in swelling of the glands in the neck or also in males, testicular swelling.Sometimes, although rare, complications like deafness and brain swelling occur, or in teenage males, infertility or subfertility can result.None of this is particularly pleasant.The parents of baby boomers saw this viral disease and others such as polio, and raced to have their children immunized.